System and Method for Automatically Scheduling Radios on a Mobile Device

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for automatically powering on and off one or more radios in a mobile device according to a schedule generated automatically for each of the one or more radios. To generate the schedules, each of the one or more radios are powered on for a designated period of time. During the designated period of time, information is recorded specifying the availability of network coverage for each of the radios. A schedule for each of the radios is then generated according to this information. Each radio is subsequently automatically powered on and off according its schedule.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/417,834 filed Apr. 3, 2009 incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following relates generally to the scheduling of radios on a mobiledevice.

BACKGROUND

Mobile devices are often designed to work with multiple wirelessnetworks. For example, a mobile device may be able to operate in anumber of 2G and 3G cellular networks, such as GSM and GPRS, EDGE, CDMA,UMTS, and HSDPA, as well as with networks that use IEEE 802 wirelessstandards such as WiFi, WiMax, and Bluetooth. Additionally, the mobiledevice may allow seamless roaming between a local area network, such asWiFi, and a cellular network, such as GSM.

The number of wireless networks that a mobile device is able to operatewithin depends in part on the user's service provider. For example, oneservice provider may configure the mobile device to use the GSM wirelessnetwork standard for transmitting voice data to and from a cell site andthe EDGE wireless network standard for transmitting data to and from acell site. However, another service provider may instead use the CDMAwireless network standard for transmitting voice data to and from a cellsite. Additionally, when Wi-Fi coverage is available, the mobile devicemay be configured to use a WiFi network to transmit data to and from awireless router.

The mobile device typically has a separate radio for each wirelessnetwork it is able to operate within. Each of these radios is typicallyalways powered on during operation of the mobile device since the mobiledevice could be within the coverage range of any one of the networks andtherefore wish to communicate on any one of these networks. However, thepower drain from powering multiple radios simultaneously can beconsiderable, and can be a concern, especially if battery power is at apremium.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of exampleonly with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating the environment in which dataitems are pushed from a host system to a mobile device;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a mobile device and a display screen therefor;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another mobile device and a display screentherefor;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of another mobile device and a display screentherefor;.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the mobile device shownin FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a mobile device;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a communicationsubsystem component of a mobile device;

FIG. 8 is a screen shot of a home screen displayed by a mobile device;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary ones of the othersoftware applications and components shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a mobile device illustrating oneembodiment of a Radio Scheduler;

FIG. 11 is schematic diagram of a set of computer executableinstructions for generating a schedule for a radio;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a schedule storedin a database;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a mobile device illustrating anotherembodiment of the Radio Scheduler;

FIG. 14 is schematic of another set of computer executable instructionsfor generating a schedule for a radio; and

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a set ofschedules stored in a database.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated amongthe figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Inaddition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, itwill be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that theembodiments described herein may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures andcomponents have not been described in detail so as not to obscure theembodiments described herein. Also, the description is not to beconsidered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein.

In general, it has been recognized that a mobile device can beconfigured to monitor when wireless network coverage is available forone or more radios and then develop a schedule to automatically poweroff each of the one or more radios during time periods when, accordingto the schedule, the wireless network coverage will not be available.This allows the mobile device to reduce power consumption since not allradios are always powered on, but are instead powered on and offaccording to a schedule.

Specifically, the mobile device can be configured to operate in a “learnmode” and a “normal mode”. During learn mode, the one or more radios arekept powered on for a designated period of time, and during this timethe mobile device monitors the availability of wireless network coveragefor each of the one or more radios. A schedule for each of the one ormore radios is then generated specifying when wireless network coverageis and is not available for each radio according to what was learnedduring learn mode. Subsequently, when the mobile device is operating innormal mode, it automatically powers on and off each of the one or moreradios according to its particular schedule.

For clarity in the discussion below, communication devices will becommonly referred to as “mobile devices”. Examples of applicable mobiledevices include pagers, cellular phones, cellular smart-phones, wirelessorganizers, personal digital assistants, computers, laptops, handheldwireless communication devices, wirelessly enabled notebook computersand the like.

The mobile device is a two-way communication device with advanced datacommunication capabilities including the capability to communicate withother mobile devices or computer systems through a network oftransceiver stations. The mobile device may also have the capability toallow voice communication. Depending on the functionality provided bythe mobile device, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, atwo-way pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, awireless Internet appliance, or a data communication device (with orwithout telephony capabilities).

The mobile device may be one that is used in a system that is configuredfor continuously routing all forms of pushed information from a hostsystem to the mobile device. One example of such a system will now bedescribed.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is an example system diagramshowing the redirection of user data items (such as message A or C) froma corporate enterprise computer system (host system) 250 to the user'smobile device 100 via a wireless router 26. The wireless router 26provides the wireless connectivity functionality as it acts to bothabstract most of the wireless network's 200 complexities, and it alsoimplements features necessary to support pushing data to the mobiledevice 100. Although not shown, a plurality of mobile devices may accessdata from the host system 250. In this example, message A in FIG. 1represents an internal message sent from, e.g. a desktop computer withinthe host system 250, to any number of server computers in the corporatenetwork (e.g. LAN), which may, in general, include a database server, acalendar server, an E-mail server or a voice-mail server.

Message C in FIG. 1 represents an external message from a sender that isnot directly connected to the host system 250, such as the user's mobiledevice 100, some other user's mobile device (not shown), or any userconnected to the public or private network 224 (e.g. the Internet).Message C could be e-mail, voice-mail, calendar information, databaseupdates, web-page updates or could even represent a command message fromthe user's mobile device 100 to the host system 250. The host system 250may comprise, along with the typical communication links, hardware andsoftware associated with a corporate enterprise computer network system,one or more wireless mobility agents, a TCP/IP connection, a collectionof datastores, (for example a data store for e-mail could be anoff-the-shelf mail server like Microsoft Exchange® Server or LotusNotes® Server), all within and behind a corporate firewall.

The mobile device 100 may be adapted for communication within wirelessnetwork 200 via wireless links, as required by each wireless network 200being used. As an illustrative example of the operation for a wirelessrouter 26 shown in FIG. 1, consider a data item A, repackaged in outerenvelope B (the packaged data item A now referred to as “data item (A)”)and sent to the mobile device 100 from an Application Service Provider(ASP) in the host system 250. Within the ASP is a computer program,similar to a wireless mobility agent, running on any computer in theASP's environment that is sending requested data items from a data storeto a mobile device 100. The mobile-destined data item (A) is routedthrough the network 224, and through a firewall protecting the wirelessrouter 26.

Although the above describes the host system 250 as being used within acorporate enterprise network environment, this is just one embodiment ofone type of host service that offers push-based messages for a handheldwireless device that is capable of notifying and preferably presentingthe data to the user in real-time at the mobile device when data arrivesat the host system.

By offering a wireless router 26 (sometimes referred to as a “relay”),there are a number of advantages to both the host system 250 and thewireless network 200. The host system 250 in general runs a host servicethat is considered to be any computer program that is running on one ormore computer systems. The host service is said to be running on a hostsystem 250, and one host system 250 can support any number of hostservices. A host service may or may not be aware of the fact thatinformation is being channelled to mobile devices 100. For example ane-mail or message program 138 (see FIG. 6) might be receiving andprocessing e-mail while an associated program (e.g. an e-mail wirelessmobility agent) is also monitoring the mailbox for the user andforwarding or pushing the same e-mail to a wireless device 100. A hostservice might also be modified to prepare and exchange information withmobile devices 100 via the wireless router 26, like customerrelationship management software. In a third example, there might be acommon access to a range of host services. For example a mobility agentmight offer a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) connection to severaldatabases.

As discussed above, a mobile device 100 may be a hand-held two-waywireless paging computer as exemplified in the figures, a wirelesslyenabled palm-top computer, a mobile telephone with data messagingcapabilities, a PDA with mobile phone capabilities, a wirelessly enabledlaptop computer, a vending machine with an associated OEM radio modem, awirelessly-enabled heart-monitoring system or, alternatively, it couldbe other types of mobile data communication devices capable of sendingand receiving messages via a network connection. Although the system isexemplified as operating in a two-way communications mode, certainaspects of the system could be used in a “one and one-half” oracknowledgment paging environment, or even with a one-way paging system.In such limited data messaging environments, the wireless router 26still could abstract the mobile device 100 and wireless network 200,offer push services to standard web-based server systems and allow ahost service in a host system 250 to reach the mobile device 100 in manycountries.

The host system 250 shown herein has many methods when establishing acommunication link to the wireless router 26. For one skilled in the artof data communications the host system 250 could use connectionprotocols like TCP/IP, X.25, Frame Relay, ISDN, ATM or many otherprotocols to establish a point-to-point connection. Over this connectionthere are several tunneling methods available to package and send thedata, some of these include: HTTP/HTML, HTTP/XML, HTTP/Proprietary, FTP,SMTP or some other proprietary data exchange protocol. The type of hostsystems 250 that might employ the wireless router 26 to perform pushcould include: field service applications, e-mail services, stock quoteservices, banking services, stock trading services, field salesapplications, advertising messages and many others. This wirelessnetwork 200 abstraction is made possible by the wireless router 26,which implements this routing and push functionality. The type ofuser-selected data items being exchanged by the host could include:E-mail messages, calendar events, meeting notifications, addressentries, journal entries, personal alerts, alarms, warnings, stockquotes, news bulletins, bank account transactions, field serviceupdates, stock trades, heart-monitoring information, vending machinestock levels, meter reading data, GPS data, etc., but could,alternatively, include any other type of message that is transmitted tothe host system 250, or that the host system 250 acquires through theuse of intelligent agents, such as data that is received after the hostsystem 250 initiates a search of a database or a website or a bulletinboard.

The wireless router 26 provides a range of services to make creating apush-based host service possible. Examples of wireless networksprotocols for communicating between mobile device 100 and wirelessrouter 26 include: (1) Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), (2) theGroupe Special Mobile or the Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM) and the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and (3) the upcomingthird-generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) network protocols likeEDGE, UMTS and HSDPA, LTE, Wi-Max etc. Some older examples ofdata-centric networks include, but are not limited to: (1) the MobitexRadio Network (“Mobitex”) and (2) the DataTAC Radio Network (“DataTAC”).

To be effective in providing push services for host systems 250, thewireless router 26 may implement a set of defined functions. It can beappreciated that one could select many different hardware configurationsfor the wireless router 26, however, many of the same or similar set offeatures would likely be present in the different configurations.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 5, one embodiment of a mobile device100 a is shown in FIG. 2, another embodiment of a mobile device 100 b isshown in FIG. 3, and another embodiment of a mobile device 100 c isshown in FIGS. 4 and 5. It will be appreciated that the numeral “100”will hereinafter refer to any mobile device 100, including theembodiments 100 a, 100 b and 100 c, those embodiments enumerated above,or otherwise. It will also be appreciated that a similar numberingconvention may be used for other general features common between FIGS. 2through 4 such as a display 12, a positioning device 14, a cancel orescape button 16, a camera button 17, and a menu or option button 24.

The mobile device 100 a shown in FIG. 2 comprises a display 12 a and thecursor or view positioning device 14 shown in this embodiment is atrackball 14 a. Positioning device 14 may serve as another input memberand is both rotational to provide selection inputs to the main processor102 (see FIG. 6) and can also be pressed in a direction generally towardhousing to provide another selection input to the processor 102.Trackball 14 a permits multi-directional positioning of the selectioncursor 18 (see FIG. 8) such that the selection cursor 18 can be moved inan upward direction, in a downward direction and, if desired and/orpermitted, in any diagonal direction. The trackball 14 a is in thisexample situated on the front face of a housing for mobile device 100 aas shown in FIG. 2 to enable a user to manoeuvre the trackball 14 awhile holding the mobile device 100 a in one hand. The trackball 14 amay serve as another input member (in addition to a directional orpositioning member) to provide selection inputs to the processor 102 andcan preferably be pressed in a direction towards the housing of themobile device 100 b to provide such a selection input.

The display 12 may include a selection cursor 18 (see FIG. 8) thatdepicts generally where the next input or selection will be received.The selection cursor 18 may comprise a box, alteration of an icon or anycombination of features that enable the user to identify the currentlychosen icon or item. The mobile device 100 a in FIG. 2 also comprises aprogrammable convenience button 15 a to activate a selected applicationsuch as, for example, a calendar or calculator. Further, mobile device100 a includes an escape or cancel button 16 a, a camera button 17 a, amenu or option button 24 a and a keyboard 20. The camera button 17 isable to activate photo-capturing functions when pressed preferably inthe direction towards the housing. The menu or option button 24 loads amenu or list of options on display 12 a when pressed. In this example,the escape or cancel button 16 a, the menu option button 24 a, andkeyboard 20 are disposed on the front face of the mobile device housing,while the convenience button 15 a and camera button 17 a are disposed atthe side of the housing. This button placement enables a user to operatethese buttons while holding the mobile device 100 in one hand. Thekeyboard 20 is, in this embodiment, a standard QWERTY keyboard.

The mobile device 100 b shown in FIG. 3 comprises a display 12 b and thepositioning device 14 in this embodiment is a trackball 14 b. The mobiledevice 100 b also comprises a menu or option button 24 b, a cancel orescape button 16 b, and a camera button 17 b. The mobile device 100 b asillustrated in FIG. 3, comprises a reduced QWERTY keyboard 22. In thisembodiment, the keyboard 22, positioning device 14 b, escape button 16 band menu button 24 b are disposed on a front face of a mobile devicehousing. The reduced QWERTY keyboard 22 comprises a plurality ofmulti-functional keys and corresponding indicia including keysassociated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array ofletters A to Z and an overlaid numeric phone key arrangement.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the mobile device 100 c is shown comprisinga touch-sensitive display. In FIG. 4, the touch sensitive display 28allows a user to interact with the mobile device 100 c. In thisembodiment, the mobile device 100 c also comprises a menu or optionbutton 24 c and a cancel or escape button 16 c. In this example, aconvenience button 15 c and camera button 17 c are disposed on the sidesof the housing.

As best shown in FIG. 5, the housing 30 of the mobile device 100 cincludes a back 35, a frame 36, which frames the touch-sensitive display28, sidewalls 29 that extend between and generally perpendicular to theback 35 and the frame 36, and a base 37 that is spaced from andgenerally parallel to the back 35. The base 37 can be any suitable baseand can include, for example, a printed circuit board or flex circuitboard. The back 35 includes a plate (not shown) that is releasablyattached for insertion and removal of, for example, a battery and aSIM/RUIM card. It will be appreciated that the back 35, the sidewalls 29and the frame 36 can be injection molded, for example. In the exemplarymobile device 100 c shown in FIG. 4, the frame 36 is generallyrectangular with rounded corners although other shapes are possible.

The display device 32 and the overlay 34 can be supported on a supporttray 31 of suitable material such as magnesium for providing mechanicalsupport to the display device 32 and overlay 34. The display device 32and overlay 34 are biased away from the base 37, toward the frame 36 bybiasing elements 33 such as gel pads between the support tray 31 and thebase 37. Compliant spacers 38, which can also be in the form of gel padsfor example, are located between an upper portion of the support tray 31and the frame 36. The touch screen display 28 is moveable within thehousing 30 as the touch screen display 28 can be moved toward the base37, thereby compressing the biasing elements 33. The touch screendisplay 28 can also be pivoted within the housing 30 with one side ofthe touch screen display 28 moving toward the base 37, therebycompressing the biasing elements 33 on the same side of the touch screendisplay 28 that moves toward the base 37.

In the present example, the switch 39 is supported on one side of thebase 37 which can be printed circuit board while the opposing sideprovides mechanical support and electrical connection for othercomponents (not shown) of the mobile device 100 c. The switch 39 can belocated between the base 37 and the support tray 31. The switch 39,which can be a mechanical dome-type switch, for example, can be locatedin any suitable position such that displacement of the touch screendisplay 28 resulting from a user pressing the touch screen display 28with sufficient force to overcome the bias and to overcome the actuationforce for the switch 39, depresses and actuates the switch 39. In thepresent embodiment the switch 39 is in contact with the support tray 31.Thus, depression of the touch screen display 28 by user application of aforce thereto, causes actuation of the switch 39, thereby providing theuser with a positive tactile quality during user interaction with theuser interface of the portable electronic device 20. The switch 39 isnot actuated in the rest position shown in FIG. 5, absent applied forceby the user. It will be appreciated that the switch 39 can be actuatedby pressing anywhere on the touch screen display 28 to cause movement ofthe touch screen display 28 in the form of movement parallel with thebase 37 or pivoting of one side of the touch screen display 28 towardthe base 37. The switch 39 is connected to a processor and can be usedfor further input to the processor when actuated. Although a singleswitch is shown any suitable number of switches can be used and can belocated in any suitable position.

The touch screen display 28 can be any suitable touch screen displaysuch as a capacitive touch screen display. A capacitive touch screendisplay 28 includes the display 32 and the touch-sensitive overlay 34,in the form of a capacitive touch-sensitive overlay 34. It will beappreciated that the capacitive touch-sensitive overlay 34 includes anumber of layers in a stack and is fixed to the display 32 via asuitable optically clear adhesive. The layers can include, for example asubstrate fixed to the LCD display 32 by a suitable adhesive, a groundshield layer, a barrier layer, a pair of capacitive touch sensor layersseparated by a substrate or other barrier layer, and a cover layer fixedto the second capacitive touch sensor layer by a suitable adhesive. Thecapacitive touch sensor layers can be any suitable material such aspatterned indium tin oxide (ITO).

In the present example, the X and Y location of a touch are bothdetermined with the X location determined by a signal generated as aresult of capacitive coupling with one of the touch sensor layers andthe Y location determined by the signal generated as a result ofcapacitive coupling with the other of the touch sensor layers. Each ofthe touch-sensor layers provides a signal to the controller 36 as aresult of capacitive coupling with a suitable object such as a finger ofa user or a conductive object held in a bare hand of a user resulting ina change in the electric field of each of the touch sensor layers. Thesignals represent the respective X and Y touch location values. It willbe appreciated that other attributes of the user's touch on the touchscreen display 28 can be determined. For example, the size and the shapeof the touch on the touch screen display 28 can be determined inaddition to the location (X and Y values) based on the signals receivedat the controller 36 from the touch sensor layers.

As will be appreciated, a controller interprets touch events detected onthe touch screen display 28, and controls the portable electronic device20 accordingly. As used herein, a touch event can be, for example, asingle touch, a combination of touches, such as a “double touch”, a“touch and hold”, a “touch and drag”, or a touch made with sufficientforce to depress the switch 39 described above. The interpretation of agiven touch event will depend on the software and implementation detailsused by the portable electronic device 20. According to an embodiment,an activation touch event, also referred to as a “click” touch event or“clicking”, is a touch event where sufficient force is applied to thetouch screen 38 to depress or activate the switch 39, and to providetactile feedback to the user. Such an activation touch event invokes anaction as determined by the underlying application and as displayed tothe user in a graphical user interface (GUI). As used herein, a userselection is made by such an activation touch event. According to anembodiment, a highlighting touch event, also referred to as a “focus”touch event, is a touch event where the touch screen display 28 istouched lightly without sufficient force to activate the switch 38, andcauses the item so touched to be highlighted, or otherwise visiblyselected, for further action.

It will be appreciated that for the mobile device 100, a wide range ofone or more positioning or cursor/view positioning mechanisms such as atouch pad, a positioning wheel, a joystick button, a mouse, atouchscreen, a set of arrow keys, a tablet, an accelerometer (forsensing orientation and/or movements of the mobile device 100 etc.), orother whether presently known or unknown may be employed. Similarly, anyvariation of keyboard 20, 22 may be used. It will also be appreciatedthat the mobile devices 100 shown in FIGS. 1 through 5 are forillustrative purposes only and various other mobile devices 100 areequally applicable to the following examples. For example, other mobiledevices 100 may include the trackball 14 b, escape button 16 b and menuor option button 24 similar to that shown in FIG. 3 only with a full orstandard keyboard of any type. Other buttons may also be disposed on themobile device housing such as colour coded “Answer” and “Ignore” buttonsto be used in telephonic communications. In another example, the display12 may itself be touch sensitive thus itself providing an inputmechanism in addition to display capabilities. Furthermore, the housingfor the mobile device 100 should not be limited to the single-piececonfigurations shown in FIGS. 2 through 5, other configurations such asclamshell or “flip-phone” configurations are also applicable.

To aid the reader in understanding the structure of the mobile device100 and how it communicates with each wireless network 200, referencewill now be made to FIGS. 6 through 9.

Referring first to FIG. 6, shown therein is a block diagram of anexemplary embodiment of a mobile device 100. The mobile device 100comprises a number of components such as a main processor 102 thatcontrols the overall operation of the mobile device 100. Communicationfunctions, including data and voice communications, are performedthrough a communication subsystem 104. The communication subsystem 104receives messages from and sends messages to each wireless network 200.Each wireless link connecting the communication subsystem 104 with eachwireless network 200 represents one or more different Radio Frequency(RF) channels, operating according to defined protocols specified forthe particular network.

The main processor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems such asa Random Access Memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108, a display 110, anauxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 112, a data port 114, a keyboard116, a speaker 118, a microphone 120, a GPS receiver 121, short-rangecommunications 122, and other device subsystems 124.

Some of the subsystems of the mobile device 100 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, the display 110and the keyboard 116 may be used for both communication-relatedfunctions, such as entering a text message for transmission over anetwork 200, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or tasklist.

The mobile device 100 can send and receive communication signals over awireless network 200 after required network registration or activationprocedures have been completed. Network access is associated with asubscriber or user of the mobile device 100. To identify a subscriber,the mobile device 100 may use a subscriber module component or “smartcard” 126, such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), a Removable UserIdentity Module (RUIM) and a Universal Subscriber Identity Module(USIM). In the example shown, a SIM/RUIM/USIM 126 is to be inserted intoa SIM/RUIM/USIM interface 128 in order to communicate with a network.Without the component 126, the mobile device 100 is not fullyoperational for communication with the associated wireless network 200.Once the SIM/RUIM/USIM 126 is inserted into the SIM/RUIM/USIM interface128, it is coupled to the main processor 102.

The mobile device 100 is a battery-powered device and therefore includesa battery interface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries130. In at least some embodiments, the battery 130 can be a smartbattery with an embedded microprocessor. The battery interface 132 iscoupled to a regulator (not shown), which assists the battery 130 inproviding power V+ to the mobile device 100.

The mobile device 100 also includes an operating system 134 and softwarecomponents 136 to 146 which are described in more detail below. Theoperating system 134 and the software components 136 to 146 that areexecuted by the main processor 102 are typically stored in a persistentstore such as the flash memory 108, which may alternatively be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that portions of the operating system134 and the software components 136 to 146, such as specific deviceapplications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile store such as the RAM 106. Other software components can alsobe included, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

The subset of software applications 136 that control basic deviceoperations, including data and voice communication applications, may beinstalled on the mobile device 100 during its manufacture. Softwareapplications may include a message application 138, a device statemodule 140, a Personal Information Manager (PIM) 142, a connect module144 and an IT policy module 146. A message application 138 can be anysuitable software program that allows a user of the mobile device 100 tosend and receive electronic messages, wherein messages are typicallystored in the flash memory 108 of the mobile device 100. A device statemodule 140 provides persistence, i.e. the device state module 140ensures that important device data is stored in persistent memory, suchas the flash memory 108, so that the data is not lost when the mobiledevice 100 is turned off or loses power. A PIM 142 includesfunctionality for organizing and managing data items of interest to theuser, such as, but not limited to, e-mail, text messages, instantmessages, contacts, calendar events, and voice mails, and may interactwith the wireless network 200. A connect module 144 implements thecommunication protocols that are required for the mobile device 100 tocommunicate with the wireless infrastructure and any host system 250,such as an enterprise system, that the mobile device 100 is authorizedto interface with. An IT policy module 146 receives IT policy data thatencodes the IT policy, and may be responsible for organizing andsecuring rules such as the “Set Maximum Password Attempts” IT policy.

Other types of software applications or components 139 can also beinstalled on the mobile device 100. These software applications 139 canbe pre-installed applications or third party applications, which areadded after the manufacture of the mobile device 100. Examples of thirdparty applications include games, calculators, utilities, etc.

The additional applications 139 can be loaded onto the mobile device 100through at least one of a wireless network 200, the auxiliary I/Osubsystem 112, the data port 114, the short-range communicationssubsystem 122, or any other suitable device subsystem 124.

The data port 114 can be any suitable port that enables datacommunication between the mobile device 100 and another computingdevice. The data port 114 can be a serial or a parallel port. In someinstances, the data port 114 can be a USB port that includes data linesfor data transfer and a supply line that can provide a charging currentto charge the battery 130 of the mobile device 100.

For voice communications, received signals are output to the speaker118, and signals for transmission are generated by the microphone 120.Although voice or audio signal output is accomplished primarily throughthe speaker 118, the display 110 can also be used to provide additionalinformation such as the identity of a calling party, duration of a voicecall, or other voice call related information.

For composing data items, such as e-mail messages, for example, a useror subscriber could use the touch-sensitive overlay 34 on the display 32that are part of the touch screen display 28, in addition to possiblythe auxiliary I/O subsystem 112. The auxiliary I/O subsystem 112 mayinclude devices such as: a mouse, track ball, infrared fingerprintdetector, or a roller wheel with dynamic button pressing capability. Acomposed item may be transmitted over a wireless network 200 through thecommunication subsystem 104.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an exemplary block diagram of the communicationsubsystem component 104 is shown. The communication subsystem 104comprises a number of radios 151 a to 151 n, each one configured forcommunicating with a corresponding wireless network 200 a to 200 n overa particular protocol. It will be appreciated that the numeral “151”will hereinafter refer to any radio, including the embodiments 151 a to151 n, and that the numeral “200” will hereinafter refer to any wirelessnetwork, including the embodiments 200 a to 200 n. It will also beappreciated that ‘n’ represents an arbitrary number corresponding to thetotal number of radios 151 or wireless networks 200 in the particularapplication.

Examples of wireless networks include GSM, CDMA, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, LTE,WiFi, WiMax, Bluetooth, or one of the other 2G, 3G, or emerging 4Gnetworks. For a given wireless network 200, the corresponding radio 151has the necessary hardware and software to operate according to thedefined protocols specified for that wireless network 200. Therefore, itwill be appreciated that the particular design of each radio 151 isdependent upon the corresponding wireless communication network 200 withwhich the mobile device 100 is intended to operate. In general, though,each radio 151 typically includes a receiver 150, a transmitter 152,associated components such as one or more embedded or internal antennaelements 154 and 156, Local Oscillators (LOs) 158, and a processingmodule such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 160. However, it shouldbe understood that the design of the radios illustrated in FIG. 7 servesonly as an example.

Signals received by an antenna 154 through a wireless network 200 arefed to the receiver 150, which may perform such common receiverfunctions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering,channel selection, and analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/Dconversion of a received signal allows more complex communicationfunctions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP160. In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed,including modulation and encoding, by the DSP 160. These DSP-processedsignals are input to the transmitter 152 for digital-to-analog (D/A)conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification andtransmission over the wireless network 200 via the antenna 156. The DSP160 not only processes communication signals, but also provides forreceiver and transmitter control. For example, the gains applied tocommunication signals in the receiver 150 and the transmitter 152 may beadaptively controlled through automatic gain control algorithmsimplemented in the DSP 160.

The wireless link between the mobile device 100 and a wireless network200 can contain one or more different channels, typically different RFchannels, and associated protocols are used between the mobile device100 and the particular wireless network 200. An RF channel is a limitedresource that must be conserved, typically due to limits in overallbandwidth and limited battery power of the mobile device 100.

Turning now to FIG. 8, the mobile device 100 may display a home screen40, which may be the active screen when the mobile device 100 is poweredup or may be accessible from other screens. The home screen 40 generallycomprises a status region 44 and a theme background 46, which provides agraphical background for the display 12. The theme background 46displays a series of icons 42 in a predefined arrangement on a graphicalbackground. In some themes, the home screen 40 may limit the numbericons 42 shown on the home screen 40 so as to not detract from the themebackground 46, particularly where the background 46 is chosen foraesthetic reasons. The theme background 46 shown in FIG. 8 provides agrid of icons. It will be appreciated that preferably several themes areavailable for the user to select and that any applicable arrangement maybe used. One or more of the series of icons 42 is typically a folder 52that itself is capable of organizing any number of applicationstherewithin.

The status region 44 in this embodiment comprises a date/time display48. The theme background 46, in addition to a graphical background andthe series of icons 42, also comprises a status bar 50. The status bar50 provides information to the user based on the location of theselection cursor 18, e.g. by displaying a name for the icon 53 that iscurrently highlighted.

An application may be initiated (opened or viewed) from display 12 byhighlighting a corresponding icon 53 using the positioning device 14 andproviding a suitable user input to the mobile device 100. For example,an application may be initiated by moving the positioning device 14 suchthat the corresponding icon 53 is highlighted by the selection box 18 asshown in FIG. 8, and providing a selection input, e.g. by pressing thetrackball 14 b. Alternatively, in a mobile device 100 c such as in FIGS.4 and 5, an application may be initiated (opened or viewed) from a touchscreen display 28 by executing a “click” touch event or “clicking” thetouch screen display 28 at the X and Y position of the correspondingicon 53.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the other software applications andcomponents 139 that may be stored on and used with the mobile device100. Only examples are shown in FIG. 9 and such examples are not to beconsidered exhaustive. In this example, an internet browser 56, phoneapplication 58, address book 60 and a profiles application 62 are shownto illustrate the various features that may be provided by the mobiledevice 100. It will be appreciated that the various applications mayoperate independently or may utilize features of other applications. Forexample, the phone application 58 may use the address book 60 forcontact details.

Also shown in FIG. 9, stored on and used with mobile device 100 is aRadio Scheduler 54 software application for powering on and off one ormore of the radios 151 a-n according to a schedule stored in a database61. As will be explained in detail below, the Radio Scheduler 54 canoperate in a “learn mode” and a “normal mode”. During learn mode, theRadio Scheduler 54 powers on one or more radios 151 a-n for a setdesignated period of time and during that time monitors and records theavailability of wireless network coverage for each of the one or moreradios 151 a-n. Using the information collected during learn mode,independent schedules for each of the one or more radios 151 a-n arethen programmed by the Radio Scheduler 54 and stored in the database 61.Subsequently, when the Radio Scheduler 54 is operating in normal mode,it automatically powers on and off each radio 151 a-n according to itsparticular schedule stored in the database 61.

The Radio Scheduler 54 can be configured to generate schedules andsubsequently power on and off either all the radios 151 or just aparticular subset of the radios 151.

An embodiment of the Radio Scheduler 54 will now be described withreference to FIGS. 10 to 12. In this embodiment, only the Wi-Fi radio isscheduled on and off by the Radio Scheduler 54. This embodiment isparticularly useful because Wi-Fi “hotspots”, that is, areas in whichcoverage is available for the Wi-Fi network, are often relativelylocalized and physically separated from one another by areas in whichWi-Fi network coverage is not available. Unlike many cellular wirelessnetworks, a Wi-Fi network does not have broad coverage over a largermetropolitan area. Therefore, it can be advantageous to power off theWi-Fi radio when Wi-Fi coverage is not available in order to savebattery power.

Turning therefore to FIG. 10, a mobile device 100 is shown having aRadio Scheduler software application 54. The Radio Scheduler 54communicates with a database 61 to store and retrieve schedules 63specifying the powering on and off of each of the radios 151 a-n in thecommunication subsystem 104. In this particular embodiment, the RadioScheduler 54 communicates with a Wi-Fi radio 151 b in the communicationsubsystem 104. The reference numeral ‘151 b’ has been used to indicatethat the Wi-Fi radio 151 b is only one of a number of radios 151 a-nthat form the communication subsystem 104. The Wi-Fi radio 151 bcommunicates with a wireless router 26 (FIG. 1) over a Wi-Fi wirelessnetwork 200 b using a Wi-Fi communication protocol.

When the Wi-Fi radio is powered on, the Digital Signal Processor (DSP)160 b (FIG. 7) of the Wi-Fi radio 151 b periodically analyses signals(or the absence of signals) picked up by the receiver 150 b to determineif Wi-Fi coverage is available. In regular operation, if Wi-Fi coverageis available, that is, if the mobile device 100 is in the range of aWi-Fi network, for example, Wi-Fi network 200 b, the radio 151 b willindicate to the main processor 102 that it is possible to communicatewith the wireless router 26 over the Wi-Fi network 200 b. As the mobiledevice 100 moves throughout physical space, it may or may not be withinthe coverage of a Wi-Fi network.

The Radio Scheduler 54 powers on and off the Wi-Fi radio 151 b accordingto a schedule 63 b stored in the database 61. The operation of the RadioScheduler 54 and generation of the schedule 63 b will now be explainedwith reference to FIG. 11.

The Radio Scheduler 54 can operate in learn mode, in which the schedule63 b is generated or modified, and the Radio Scheduler 54 can operate innormal mode, in which the Radio Scheduler 54 powers on and off the Wi-Firadio 151 b according to the schedule 63 b. Turning therefore to FIG.11, a set of computer readable instructions is shown that are used bythe Radio Scheduler 54 during operation in learn mode. In step 302, theRadio Scheduler 54 is prompted to enter learn mode by the user of themobile device. This can be done, for example, by the user moving acursor 18 on the home screen 40 to select an icon 53 associated withRadio Scheduler 54. As an example, the user may choose to enter learnmode because he/she has just recently purchased the mobile device 100and would like to establish a power on/off schedule for the Wi-Fi radio151 b. As another example, the user may choose to enter learn modebecause the user's roaming habits have changed and he/she wouldtherefore like to establish a new power on/off schedule for the Wi-Firadio 151 b.

Next, in step 304, the Radio Scheduler 54 then checks that the Wi-Firadio 151 b is powered on, and if not, the Radio Scheduler 54 powers onthe Wi-Fi radio 151 b. Then, in step 306, the Radio Scheduler 54monitors and records in designated memory 64 b information specifyingthe availability of Wi-Fi coverage. In this embodiment, the RadioScheduler 54 records the time periods during which the Wi-Fi radio 151 bindicates that the mobile device 100 is within or not within thecoverage range of a Wi-Fi network, such as the Wi-Fi network 200 b. Thisrecording typically occurs for a specific designated period of time,such as for at least two days, or perhaps as long as a week or two.Conveniently, a small icon or series of characters (not shown) ondisplay 12 can indicate to the user that the Radio Scheduler 54 is inlearn mode, so that the user is aware and reminded when using the mobiledevice 100.

FIG. 12 shows one example in which the Radio Scheduler 54 has operatedin learn mode for one week and during that time has recorded indesignated memory 64 b when network coverage is not available for theWi-Fi radio 151 b. In this particular example, it can be seen thatwireless network coverage is not available for the Wi-Fi radio 151 b onweekdays between 7 am and 6 pm, as well as on Saturday afternoon. Thiscoverage pattern may suggest, for example, that the user has Wi-Ficoverage in their home, but not outside their home (e.g. not at work).This information collected during learn mode for the Wi-Fi radio 151 bis stored in designated memory 64 b.

Once the Radio Scheduler 54 has completed monitoring the availability ofWi-Fi coverage for the designated period of time, next in step 308, theRadio Scheduler 54 generates a schedule using the information collectedand stored in designated memory 64 b. In this embodiment, the RadioScheduler 54 simply generates a schedule for powering on and off theWi-Fi radio 151 b according to the times recorded during learn modespecifying the availability of Wi-Fi coverage. However, in order toaccommodate small daily fluctuations in the user's schedule that maycause the user to enter the Wi-Fi coverage area a little early or leavethe Wi-Fi coverage area a little late, the Wi-Fi radio 151 b isscheduled to be powered on for a half hour of extra buffer time at thebeginning and end of each period during which Wi-Fi coverage has beenrecorded as being available. In general, by scheduling the Wi-Fi radio151 b to be powered off for only a subset of time during which networkcoverage is recorded as not being available, instead of the whole timenetwork coverage is recorded as not being available, the Wi-Fi radio 151b will remain powered on for a long enough duration to accommodate smalldaily fluctuations in the user's schedule.

The generated schedule is then stored in memory 63 b in the database 61.Referring to the example in FIG. 12, it can be seen that schedule 63 bis generated according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically,the Wi-Fi radio 151 b is scheduled to be powered off on weekdays between7:30 am and 5:30 pm and on Saturday between 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm.

Subsequently, in step 310, the Radio Scheduler 54 automatically exitslearn mode and defaults to normal mode. In normal mode, the RadioScheduler 54 powers on and off the Wi-Fi radio 151 b according to theschedule 63 b generated in learn mode.

It will be appreciated that the specific embodiment shown in FIG. 12 isjust one particular example. Notably, in other embodiments, the RadioScheduler 54 may be programmed to operate in learn mode for only a fewdays and generate a schedule that repeats on a daily basis. In suchembodiments, it will be appreciated that a variety of processes may beused to generate the schedule. For example, in one such embodiment, aschedule that repeats on a daily basis is generated that powers on theWi-Fi radio 151 b during all periods of the day during which wirelesscoverage was found to be available during learn mode. For example, ifthe device operates in learn mode for three days, and on the first daycoverage for the Wi-Fi radio 151 b is available between 5 pm and 7 am,on the second day coverage is available between 4 pm and 7 am, and onthe third day coverage is available between 5 pm and 7:30 am, then theschedule generated will ensure the Wi-Fi radio 151 b is powered onbetween 4 pm and 7:30 am, and may possibly add an additional buffer time(e.g. one half hour on each end as described above).

It is also contemplated that in alternative embodiments, the user isable to temporarily disable the operation of Radio Scheduler 54 andtherefore cause the Wi-Fi radio 151 b to be always powered on. Thisfunctionality is useful when the user is travelling or otherwisedeviating from his/her usual roaming habits and therefore wants theWi-Fi radio 151 b to be always powered on. Additionally, it is alsocontemplated that in alternative embodiments the Radio Scheduler 54 canbe configured to automatically disable on certain days (e.g. weekends)when the user's roaming habits are generally more sporadic, therebycausing the Wi-Fi radio 151 b to be always powered on these days. Inorder to provide this functionality, it is contemplated that in oneembodiment a simple user interface (not shown) accessible through homescreen 40 allows the user to temporarily disable Radio Scheduler 54, orprogram a schedule specifying the days or periodicity with which theRadio Scheduler 54 is to be disabled, or both. Such preferences can bestored in a user preferences database 66 accessible by the RadioScheduler 54.

Therefore, to summarize the embodiment described above, in use the userprompts the Radio Scheduler 54 to enter learn mode, preferably through amenu accessible on the home screen 40. The Radio Scheduler 54 thenmonitors the availability of network coverage for the Wi-Fi radio 151 bover a designated period of time. This designated period of time may bea default length of time (e.g. 1 week) stored in the Radio Scheduler 54.It may also be modifiable by the user. The Radio Scheduler 54 thengenerates a power on/off schedule for the Wi-Fi radio 151 b based on theinformation collected. The Radio Scheduler 54 then exits learn mode andenters normal mode. During normal mode, the Radio Scheduler 54 powers onand off the Wi-Fi radio 151 b according to the schedule stored in thedatabase 61. In some embodiments the user may disable the RadioScheduler 54 when the user wishes to have the Wi-Fi radio 151 b alwayspowered on, for example, if the user is travelling and thereforedeviating from his/her usual roaming habits. Also, it is contemplatedthat in some embodiments the user may program Radio Scheduler 40 toperiodically disable on certain days (e.g. on weekends) when the user'sroaming habits are more sporadic.

In the embodiment described in FIGS. 10 and 11, the Radio Scheduler 54controls the powering on and off of only the Wi-Fi radio 151 b. It willbe appreciated that this is only one particular embodiment and that ingeneral other radios 151 in the communication subsystem 104 may bepowered on and off by the Radio Scheduler 54 instead of or in additionto the Wi-Fi radio 151 b.

For example, coverage for Bluetooth networks are typically verylocalized and often physically separated from one another by large areasin which Bluetooth network coverage is not available. Therefore, anembodiment in which the Bluetooth radio is also scheduled on and off bythe Radio Scheduler 54 can be particularly useful.

As mentioned above, the Radio Scheduler 54 can be configured to generateschedules and power on and off one, some, or all of the radios 151. Anembodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15 inwhich the Radio Scheduler 54 controls the powering on and off of all theavailable radios 151 a-n. This embodiment is particularly useful becausemultiple radios may be powered off when there is no coverage available(according to their schedules) and therefore battery power is notunnecessarily wasted powering radios for networks in which no coverageis available.

Turning therefore to FIG. 13, a mobile device 100 is shown having aRadio Scheduler software application 54. The Radio Scheduler 54communicates with a database 61 to store and retrieve schedules 63specifying the powering on and off of each of the radios 151 a-n in thecommunication subsystem 104.

When each radio 151 a-n is powered on, the Digital Signal Processor(DSP) of each radio 151 a-n periodically analyses signals (or theabsence of signals) picked up by its receiver to determine if coverageis available. In regular operation, if coverage is available for aparticular network, the associated radio will indicate to the mainprocessor 102 that it is possible to communicate over that network. Asthe mobile device 100 moves throughout physical space, it may or may notbe within the coverage of a particular network.

The Radio Scheduler 54 operates to power on and off each of the radios151 a-n according to each corresponding schedule 63 a-n stored in thedatabase 61. The operation of the Radio Scheduler 54 and generation ofthe schedules 63 will now be explained with reference to FIG. 14.

The Radio Scheduler 54 can operate in learn mode, in which the schedules63 are generated or modified, and the Radio Scheduler 54 can operate innormal mode, in which the Radio Scheduler 54 powers on and off eachradio 151 a-n according to its corresponding schedule 63 a-n. Turningtherefore to FIG. 14, a set of computer readable instructions is shownthat are used by the Radio Scheduler 54 during operation in learn mode.In step 502, the Radio Scheduler 54 is prompted to enter learn mode bythe user of the mobile device. Next, in step 504, the Radio Scheduler 54powers on each radio 151 a-n. Then, in step 506, the Radio Scheduler 54monitors and records in designated memory 64 b information specifyingthe availability of network coverage for each radio 151 a-n. In thisembodiment, the Radio Scheduler 54 independently monitors and recordsthe time periods during which each radio 151 a-n indicates it is withinor not within the coverage range of its network. This recordingtypically occurs for a specific designated period of time, such as forat least two days, or perhaps as long as a week or two.

FIG. 15 shows one example in which the Radio Scheduler 54 has operatedin learn mode for one week and during that time has recorded indesignated memory 64 a-n when network coverage is not available for eachradio 151 a-n. In this particular example, it can be seen that wirelessnetwork coverage is only available to the Bluetooth radio 151 a between7 am and 8 am and between 5 pm and 6 pm on weekdays. This may suggest,for example, that the user has a hands-free Bluetooth connection intheir vehicle which is used when driving to and from work. Similarly, itcan be seen from FIG. 15 that network coverage is not available for theWi-Fi radio 151 b on weekdays between 7 am and 6 pm, as well as onSaturday afternoon. This coverage pattern may suggest, for example, thatthe user has Wi-Fi coverage in their home, but not outside their home(e.g. at their work). Moreover, it can be seen from FIG. 15 that theuser always has network coverage for the GSM and EDGE cellular radios151 c and 151 d, except between 11 pm and 6 am. This may suggest, forexample, that the user sleeps in an area of the house where GSM and EDGEcellular coverage is not available.

The information collected during lean mode for each radio 151 a-n isstored in respective designated memory 64 a-n.

Once the Radio Scheduler 54 has completed monitoring when coverage isavailable for the radios 151, next in step 508, the Radio Scheduler 54generates a schedule for each radio 151 a-n using the information storedin respective designated memory 64 a-n. In this embodiment, the RadioScheduler 54 simply generates a schedule for powering on and off eachradio 151 a-n according to the times recorded during learn modespecifying the availability of network coverage for each radio 151 a-n.However, in order to accommodate small daily fluctuations in the user'sschedule that may cause the user to enter a coverage area for aparticular radio a little early or leave the coverage area a littlelate, each radio 151 a-n is scheduled to be powered on for a half hourof extra buffer time at the beginning and end of each period duringwhich coverage has been recorded as being available. In general, byscheduling each radio 151 a-n to be powered off for only a subset oftime during which network coverage is recorded as not being available,instead of the whole time network coverage is recorded as not beingavailable, the each radio 151 a-n will remain powered on for a longenough duration to accommodate small daily fluctuations in the user'sschedule.

The schedule for each radio 151 a-n is then stored in respective memory63 a-n in the database 61. Referring to the example in FIG. 15, it canbe seen that schedules 63 a-n are generated according to theabove-described embodiment.

Subsequently, in step 510, the Radio Scheduler 54 automatically exitslearn mode and defaults to normal mode. In normal mode, the RadioScheduler 54 powers on and off each of the radios 151 a-n according tothe respective schedules 63 a-n generated during learn mode.

It will be appreciated that the specific embodiment shown in FIG. 15 isjust one particular example. For example, as discussed earlier, it iscontemplated that in other embodiments, the Radio Scheduler 54 may beprogrammed to operate in learn mode for only a few days and generate aschedule for each radio 151 a-n that repeats on a daily basis.

Additionally, as described earlier, it is contemplated that in someembodiments the user is able to temporarily disable the operation of theRadio Scheduler 54 and therefore cause all radios 151 a-n to be alwayspowered on. This functionality is useful when the user is travelling orotherwise deviating from his/her usual roaming habits and thereforewants radios to be powered on that may usually be powered off.Additionally, it is also contemplated that the Radio Scheduler 54 can beprogrammed to automatically disable on certain days (e.g. weekends) whenthe user's roaming habits are generally more sporadic, thereby causingall radios 151 a-n to be always powered on these days. Such userpreferences can be stored in a database 66 accessible by the RadioScheduler 54.

Although the invention has been described with reference to certainspecific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as identified in the claims appended hereto.

1. A method of automatically powering on and off one or more radios in amobile device, the method comprising: retrieving from memory a schedulefor each of the one or more radios, the schedule specifying availabilityof network coverage for each of the one or more radios; and powering onand off each of the one or more radios according to the schedule.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, the schedule: (i) recording time periods during whichnetwork coverage is available for each of the one or more radios; or(ii) recording time periods during which network coverage is notavailable for each of the one or more radios.
 3. The method of claim 2,the schedule specifying that each of the one or more radios be poweredoff for a subset of time in which network coverage is not available. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the powering on and off is periodicallydisabled and all of the one or more radios is powered on.
 5. The methodof claim 4, the periodically disabling occurring according topreferences programmed in the mobile device.
 6. The method of claim 1,the one or more radios comprising any one or more of: a Wi-Fi radio, aBluetooth radio, and a Wi-Max radio.
 7. A non-transitory computerreadable medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions forautomatically powering on and off one or more radios in a mobile device,the computer readable instructions comprising instructions for:retrieving from memory a schedule for each of the one or more radios,the schedule specifying availability of network coverage for each of theone or more radios; and powering on and off each of the one or moreradios according to the schedule.
 8. A mobile device comprising a radioscheduling software application for automatically powering on and offone or more radios in the mobile device, the mobile device furthercomprising memory, and the radio scheduling software applicationconfigured for: retrieving from memory a schedule for each of the one ormore radios, the schedule specifying availability of network coveragefor each of the one or more radios; and powering on and off each of theone or more radios according to the schedule.
 9. The mobile device ofclaim 8, the schedule: (i) recording time periods during which networkcoverage is available for each of the one or more radios; or (ii)recording time periods during which network coverage is not availablefor each of the one or more radios.
 10. The mobile device of claim 9,the schedule specifying that each of the one or more radios be poweredoff for a subset of time in which network coverage is not available. 11.The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the powering on and off isperiodically disabled and all of the one or more radios is powered on.12. The mobile device of claim 11, the periodically disabling occurringaccording to preferences programmed in the mobile device.
 13. The mobiledevice of claim 8, the one or more radios comprising any one or more of:a Wi-Fi radio, a Bluetooth radio, and a Wi-Max radio.
 14. A method ofautomatically powering on and off one or more radios in a mobile device,the method comprising: powering on the one or more radios for adesignated period of time; during the designated period of time,recording in memory information specifying availability of networkcoverage for each of the one or more radios; and generating a schedulefor each of the one or more radios using the information.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 14, further comprising powering on and off each ofthe one or more radios according to the schedule.
 16. The method ofclaim 14 further comprising prompting initiation of the method prior tothe powering on the one or more radios.
 17. The method of claim 14, theone or more radios comprising any one or more of: a Wi-Fi radio, aBluetooth radio, and a Wi-Max radio.
 18. The method of claim 14 whereinthe designated period of time comprises at least two days.
 19. Themethod of clam 18 wherein during the designated period of time, adisplay on the mobile device indicates that the mobile device iscollecting information specifying availability of network coverage foreach of the one or more radios.
 20. A non-transitory computer readablemedium having stored thereon computer readable instructions forautomatically powering on and off one or more radios in a mobile device,the computer readable instructions comprising instructions for: poweringon the one or more radios for a designated period of time; during thedesignated period of time, recording in memory information specifyingavailability of network coverage for each of the one or more radios; andgenerating a schedule for each of the one or more radios using theinformation.
 21. A mobile device comprising a radio scheduling softwareapplication for automatically powering on and off one or more radios inthe mobile device, the mobile device further comprising memory, and theradio scheduling software application configured for: powering on theone or more radios for a designated period of time; during thedesignated period of time, recording in memory information specifyingavailability of network coverage for each of the one or more radios; andgenerating a schedule for each of the one or more radios using theinformation.
 22. The mobile device according to claim 21, the radioscheduling software application further configured for powering on andoff each of the one or more radios according to the schedule.
 23. Themobile device of claim 21, the radio scheduling software applicationfurther configured for prompting initiation of the method prior to thepowering on the one or more radios.
 24. The mobile device of claim 21,the one or more radios comprising any one or more of: a Wi-Fi radio, aBluetooth radio, and a Wi-Max radio.
 25. The mobile device of claim 21,wherein the designated period of time comprises at least two days. 26.The mobile device of clam 25 wherein during the designated period oftime, a display on the mobile device indicates that the mobile device iscollecting information specifying availability of network coverage foreach of the one or more radios.
 27. A method of automatically poweringon and off one or more radios in a mobile device, the method comprising:operating the mobile device in a learning mode to determine availabilityof network coverage for each of the one or more radios during at leastone designated period of time; and selectively powering on and off eachof the one or more radios according to information determined during thelearning mode.
 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising recordingthe information determined during the learning mode in a schedule. 29.The method of claim 27, the learning mode being initiated afterdetecting that the mobile device is roaming.
 30. The method of claim 27,the one or more radios comprising any one or more of: a Wi-Fi radio, aBluetooth radio, and a Wi-Max radio.
 31. The method of claim 27, furthercomprising prompting initiation of the method prior to the powering onthe one or more radios.
 32. The method of claim 27 wherein thedesignated period of time comprises at least two days.
 33. The method ofclam 32 wherein during the designated period of time, a display on themobile device indicates that the mobile device is collecting informationspecifying availability of network coverage for each of the one or moreradios.
 34. A non-transitory computer readable medium having storedthereon computer readable instructions for automatically powering on andoff one or more radios in a mobile device, the computer readableinstructions comprising instructions for: operating the mobile device ina learning mode to determine availability of network coverage for eachof the one or more radios during at least one designated period of time;and selectively powering on and off each of the one or more radiosaccording to information determined during the learning mode.
 35. Amobile device comprising a radio scheduling software application forautomatically powering on and off one or more radios in the mobiledevice, the mobile device further comprising memory, and the radioscheduling software application configured for: operating the mobiledevice in a learning mode to determine availability of network coveragefor each of the one or more radios during at least one designated periodof time; and selectively powering on and off each of the one or moreradios according to information determined during the learning mode. 36.The mobile device of claim 35, further comprising recording theinformation determined during the learning mode in a schedule.
 37. Themobile device of claim 35, the learning mode being initiated afterdetecting that the mobile device is roaming.
 38. The mobile device ofclaim 35, the one or more radios comprising any one or more of: a Wi-Firadio, a Bluetooth radio, and a Wi-Max radio.
 39. The mobile device ofclaim 35, further comprising prompting initiation of the method prior tothe powering on the one or more radios.
 40. The mobile device of claim35, wherein the designated period of time comprises at least two days.41. The mobile device of clam 40, wherein during the designated periodof time, a display on the mobile device indicates that the mobile deviceis collecting information specifying availability of network coveragefor each of the one or more radios.